Anne Edmonds: No Offence, None Taken (MICF)

Thanks Anne Edmonds, we can now all officially add 'pensioner with thermos' to our list of Things We Fear Might Kill Us. 

Edmonds spins a mean yarn — the kind of suburbia-tinged tale that's the lifeblood of the backyard barbie get-together.

If you've had the good fortune of witnessing Edmonds' work in Fancy Boy's twisted sketch comedy series on the ABC, you know that she is the best comedy character actor we have right now. That character work is the backbone of her 2017 MICF show No Offence, None Taken.

As Edmonds' yarns spin, she fleshes them out by embodying the personalities who are peppered throughout. Whether it be a bored teenage shoe shop salesperson, her wise mum or a misogynist comedy fan, Edmonds places that character right before you. Edmonds understands the nuance of various Australiana accents and utilises that skill with deceptive ease. 

Not only is Edmonds a masterful storyteller, it is equally delightful to watch her interact with the audience. As she heckles latecomers, a spare seat up the front becomes a chance for a spot of match-making while others are made aware they've missed a vital punchline about a sausage roll and a backpack (will they ever discover that's not as dirty as it sounded?).

As the stories unfold, a reoccurring theme becomes apparent with Edmonds leading us through a trail of men she has encountered being A-holes to women. Towards the end of the show, she unleashes her wrath for the sexist audiences of Jim Jefferies, blaming the comedian for enabling a new generation of moronic misogynists.

Edmonds is a superb storyteller, but her characterisations are so larger than life that maintaining a consistent level of energy becomes a gruelling task. At this performance, there were some noticeable dips, and while this doesn’t necessarily blunt the humour, it does give the show, as a whole, an uneven quality.

But largely, this is an impressively assured and hard-edged evening of comedy. The folksy storytelling humour of murderous pensioners and bunk bed accidents, in particular, reveal a sting in this comic's tail. If Edmonds is offending you, it's most likely you deserve it.

Anne Edmonds presents No Offence, None Taken till 23 Apr at the Victoria Hotel, part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.